Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

DES PLAINES, Ill. – The Harper College volleyball team continued to roll in their two matches at the Oakton Invitational on Saturday afternoon.  With wins over N4C foe College of DuPage (25-17, 25-15, 25-14) and the host Raiders (16-25, 25-12, 25-20, 25-17), the Hawks have now won five matches in a row.
 
In their first match of the afternoon, Harper (7-1, 1-0 N4C) swept DuPage (2-2).  The Hawks got off to great starts in all three sets.  They led 19-11 in the first, 15-9 in the second and 20-13 to propel them to victory.  Erinn Hellweg (Wauconda, Ill., Wauconda) and Veronica Dabrowski (Des Plaines, Ill., Rolling Meadows) led the Hawks on attack with ten and seven kills, respectively.  Dabrowski added five blocks while Madison Rodriguez (Palatine, Ill., Palatine) had five aces.  The team also had seven players with at least six digs, led by 12 from Rebekah Hischke (Algonquin, Ill., Dundee Crown).  In her first complete game setting for Harper, Valerie Bazemore (Houston, Tex., Westfield) handed out 23 assists. Though the match does not count in the conference standings, head coach Bob Vilsoet was pleased with the progress his team has made in the early part of the season.
 
“It was nice to see our team start out strong in this tri-match at Oakton,” Vilsoet said.  “We are continuing to learn about ourselves in many different ways on the court and fortunately, continuing to win – so far that is.  I like the progress we have made at this point and the experience we have gained so far this young season.”
 
The second match of the day proved to be more challenging, but the Hawks were able to overcome a first set loss to win the last three over Oakton (0-2).  Kelly Sommers (Arlington Heights, Ill., Buffalo Grove) recorded Harper's first ever double-double with both categories over 20 as she tallied 39 assists and 24 digs.  The beneficiaries included Hellweg (15 kills), Dabrowski (nine kills) and Stephanie Igielski (Streamwood, Ill., St. Edwards) (eight kills).  Igielski added 2.5 blocks while Hellweg also finished with a double-double with her 16 digs.  Megan Kollmeyer (Tustin, Mich., Pine River) had 16 digs, as well while Kelly Spychala (Des Plaines, Ill., Elk Grove) also reached double figures in digs.
 
“We made the necessary adjustments on the court to defeat a spirited and talented Oakton team that kept hitting from all different locations on the court,” Vilsoet said.  “Our girls did an excellent job to win the last three sets of the match.  On an individual note, Kelly's 24 digs and 39 assists is probably the highest double-double I've ever seen in my time here at Harper College.  All that work on defense is obviously paying off.”
 
The Hawks' next match will be their home opener on Tuesday against defending N4C champion Joliet Junior College (2-5).  First serve is slated for 6:00 PM.